Hezbollah Leader Seyyed Nasrallah Hails Ties with Iran, Syria

Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah has defended the Lebanese resistance movement’s close ties with Iran and Syria.

Nasrallah delivered a speech late on Saturday in which he said that Hezbollah is proud of its relations with the two countries, the Fars News Agency reported.

“We are allied with Iran and Syria, and we have nothing to hide,” Nasrallah stated, adding that Hezbollah cannot remain silent when a state that is helping Lebanon is criticized.

He also censured former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri for his recent anti-Iran comments, noting that Hariri’s criticism of Tehran resembles Israel’s language.

He condemned “the Hariri camp’s hatred of Hezbollah,” noting that the goal of the Hariri-led bloc is to destroy Hezbollah.

He also said Hezbollah’s only crime is that it is a thorn in Israel’s side.

On Thursday, Hezbollah issued a statement, saying that Hariri’s policies do not serve the interests of the Lebanese nation and are part of a US scheme aimed at sowing the seeds of discord among regional countries.

“Such stances are in line with apparent efforts aimed at diverting public attention from US meddling in the internal affairs of regional countries, diminishing the people’s desire for freedom and liberation from US hegemony, and diverting [attention] from Israeli crimes committed against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank,” the statement read.